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Let’s go shopping! Part 1

So this is going to be my “definitive” guide and review series to waste-free shopping options in Adelaide, and I will try and update it as time goes on to account for any changes. This list mainly includes my favourite places to shop currently, as well as a couple of recommendations from others that I have yet to try out myself (marked with *).

GOODIES AND GRAINS

Central Market Plaza, Shop 21/22 Gouger St. Adelaide, SA, 5000

This can be considered as the mothership of bulk shopping in Adelaide (That is, until The Source finally opens up in Adelaide!). They’ve been in the business for a while, and are really down with bulk shopping.

What you can find: All the usual suspects, like beans, rice, nuts, dried fruit, spices and snacks. They have a HUGE range of gluten free flour options, as well as normal flours. Hard to find items such as agar agar, skim milk powder, almond butter, epsom salts, dried yeast, wakamme, cacao nibs. They also have a liquid bulk section in the back corner, where you can fill up your own bottle (it’s sold by volume so check how big your bottle is before filling up!)- options include: olive oil, sunflower oil, local honeys, tamari, white and apple cider vinegar, rice bran oil. Reasonable range of gluten free unpackaged pasta. There are some tubs of dishwasher powder etc but these seem to be empty most times. No PLU’s here so make note/ write on your jar what you’ve bought to save time at check out. AMAZING selection of cereals and ingredients to make your own muesli/ granola. They even sell Carmen’s brand muesli in bulk!

Pros

Central location

Staff (most) will tare your containers without any trouble, they’ll write on the bottom of your jar with a marker. Just make sure that you get them to weigh your jars *before* you fill them up 🙂

Great selection, health focussed. Lots of other packaged items. The only place I’ve seen selling Kleen Kanteens in Adelaide

Great smoothies, and they also have an amazing takeaway salad shop. I’ve bought a green smoothie in a mason jar with no hassle, haven’t tried bringing my own container for some salad but I’m sure it shouldn’t be a big deal

They label country of origin on the goods, so you can “next level” your zero waste shop by shopping for local grains and nuts

They’re super nice!

They sell jars and bottles in different sizes if you’ve forgotten your own (or underestimated how many tasty things you wanted to bring home with you)

They won’t print you a receipt unless you ask for it

If you bring your own container you get 5 cents off for each

Cons

It can get really busy on market days, especially around lunch time and all day Saturday. Bring guts of steel and be super organised- this is not the place to get overwhelmed or flustered with your jars

There is not a lot of space to manoeuvre around bulk bins. There are also no gravity feeding systems here, so they’re either in tubs or scoop bins. I have a couple of funnels that I bring with me (when I remember!) to make scooping flours/ salt/ spices easier and less messy. A lot of the bins are on ground level so some squatting may be required. Not the place to wear tight low rise jeans.

You *will* see people brushing up against you with fistfuls of plastic bags filled with a cup of ingredients in each. Calm the inner rage and chant “serenity now”

I’ve never bumped into anyone else at the same time there with their own jars. Nor has anyone ever enquired about why I use jars instead of plastic bags. Join the revolution!